Brussels (AFP) – Police investigating suspected fraud linked to the transfer of Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to Newcastle United have raided properties in Belgium, Monaco and London, arresting two people including an agent, officials said Wednesday.

The probe, which earlier this year saw the Belgian FA headquarters searched, is looking into suspected money-laundering related to transfers including Mitrovic’s 18.5 million euro (13 million pound) move from Anderlecht to St James’ Park in 2015.

Under the direction of a Belgian anti-corruption judge, police and tax officials swooped on Tuesday and Wednesday, detaining an agent in Monaco and his assistant in the Belgian city of Liege.

“The facts involve notably money-laundering operations and private corruption in the context of football player transfers,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The inquiry is separate from Belgium’s so-called “footballgate” scandal, which has resulted in 20 suspects being charged since October 2018, including agents, referees and club officials, in a vast investigation into fraud and match-fixing.

Mitrovic, whose committed, physical style of play won him something of a cult following among Newcastle fans, spent three seasons at the club before moving to Fulham in 2018.

His transfer from Anderlecht — Belgium’s most successful club — involved the agents Pini Zahavi and Fali Ramadani, the Derniere Heure newspaper reported at the time of the initial raids in April.

Prosecutors have not publicly named anyone connected with the probe, but a judicial source confirmed to AFP in April that the Mitrovic transfer was part of the investigation.

The earlier raids saw officers search the Anderlecht training centre as well as the Belgian FA headquarters and the offices of One Goal Management company which specialises in transfers.

The criminal probe adds to Anderlecht’s woes on the pitch, where the 34-time Belgian champions are languishing a lowly 13th in the league with just a single win in their first six games this season.

Date published: Monday 9th September 2019 11:47 Wolves midfield target Franck Kessie is still on the market as things stand, according to the latest reports. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported towards the end of the summer that Kessie was one of three players the club were looking to sell prior to the closure of the […]

Wolves midfield target Franck Kessie is still on the market as things stand, according to the latest reports.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reported towards the end of the summer that Kessie was one of three players the club were looking to sell prior to the closure of the window on September 2.

He did come close to an exit, with La Repubblica (via Calciomertcato.com) stating that Milan and Monaco had agreed a fee for the 22-year-old rumoured to be €25m plus bonuses.

Wolves were also strongly linked, however reports claimed that Kessie is asking for €4million-a-year to leave the Rossoneri, a huge increase on his current €2.2m salary.

Now, SempreMilan (via Calciomercato.com) have offered an update on the situation surrounding the midfielder, claiming that he has been ‘stimulated’ by the idea of having to fight for his place in the first team.

The report adds that despite offers coming in from China, Monaco and Wolves, a decision on the future of Kessie has been postponed until January or June.

With Rade Krunic, Fabio Borini, Giacomo Bonaventura, Hakan Calhanoglu and Lucas Paqueta all fighting for spots in the side, the Ivorian will have to work hard for his spot – although the report adds that he is ‘not scared’.

Sempre adds that over the next five months the player is aiming to prove his worth to the club, and is even thinking about the reward of a new deal.

Two years after leaving PSG for RB Leipzig, Jean-Kévin Augustin has returned to Ligue 1 on loan at Monaco. RB Leipzig signed the young forward for €13m in 2017 – a year after he had won the European Under-19 Championship with France, picking up the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament awards in the […]

Two years after leaving PSG for RB Leipzig, Jean-Kévin Augustin has returned to Ligue 1 on loan at Monaco. RB Leipzig signed the young forward for €13m in 2017 – a year after he had won the European Under-19 Championship with France, picking up the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament awards in the process. Augustin did not fulfil his promise in the Bundesliga, but his departure remains significant for PSG. His move marked the beginning of a trend for the club. In recent transfer windows, PSG have offloaded a host of young, developing players. That exodus of talent has continued unabated in the current window, with returning sporting director Leonardo seemingly doubling down on this approach.

PSG obviously needed to balance the books with Financial Fair Play in the rearview mirror (even though they have made a profit in the transfer window so far this summer) but these departures leave the club with just three academy graduates in their first-team squad – and that includes right-back Colin Dagba, who joined the club as a 16-year-old after being developed by Boulogne.

Leonardo’s signings this summer have addressed positions of need rather than just bringing in big names and he has cannily inserted sell-on and buy-back clauses into these players’ deals – but the departure of these youngsters robs PSG of depth. The squad for their 2-0 victory over Metz on Friday laid bare these concerns. PSG won the game comfortably but was Thomas Tuchel genuinely pleased to be playing 17-year-old Adil Aouchiche in central midfield while he was also missing Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappé? Aouchiche turned in a confident performance, becoming the youngest player to start a league match for PSG, but Nkunku or Lo Celso would have provided a level of experience more befitting of a potentially difficult match away in a hostile atmosphere on a Friday evening.

PSG say this recent spate of sales is a show of faith in an even younger generation of players, such as defender Loïc Mbe Soh, and that, for FFP reasons, they are selling players who have played in Ligue 1 as they can attract higher transfer fees. But PSG’s academy has a rich reputation for producing players. Jonathan Ikoné’s fine performances for Lille have earned him a call-up to the France squad and his teammate Mike Maignan was one of the standout goalkeepers in Ligue 1 last season. Both graduated from PSG’s academy but had to find greener pastures to make names for themselves.

So why are PSG so loathe to see how these players develop Leonardo’s predecessor, Antero Henrique, initiated this fire-sale of youth prospects and was the key driver behind PSG’s decision to abolish their reserves set-up, robbing youngsters of another outlet in which to develop, in an attempt to maximise the resources available to improving the first team.

“I no longer want superstar behaviour,” said PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi in June, but one way of preventing Neymar from viewing himself as bigger than the club would be retaining a surfeit of promising youngsters who can step up in every position on the pitch, so the next time the Brazilian throws a tantrum, he would have to watch from the bench while France’s latest attacking midfield teenager fills his spot.

The arrivals of Abdou Diallo from Borussia Dortmund, Pablo Sarabia from Sevilla, Ander Herrera from Manchester United and Idrissa Gueye from Everton this summer add undeniable depth and quality to the PSG squad, answering one of Tuchel’s pet excuses for poor performances last season. Towards the end of last season, the manager often named five rather than seven substitutes to protest against the lack of first-team players at the club. The new signings will help in the short term but the club is denying itself the opportunity to create an identity as a European powerhouse that develops France’s brightest upcoming talent and allows young players to explode with regular first-team involvement.

The total absence of anything other than a “plugging holes” transfer strategy is underlined by the goalkeeping turmoil at PSG this summer. During pre-season Tuchel announced that Alphonse Areola would be his first choice for this campaign, but now the France international faces the bizarre prospect of joining Real Madrid on loan on deadline day because PSG prefer to rely on a duo of Sergio Rico (who was last seen being relegated with Fulham) and Keylor Navas, who will complete his move later today. Not to even go into the departures of Gianluigi Buffon and Kevin Trapp (who was outstanding for Frankfurt last campaign), or the case of poor Marcin Bulka, who joined for free from Chelsea in the summer and must have thought he had a chance of playing second fiddle this season. One could not blame such naivety, but in Paris, youth and promise always come last. Relentless short-termism reigns instead.

Ligue 1 talking points

• Rennes lost their 100% record this weekend after a 2-1 defeat at home to Nice, who join them, PSG and Angers at the top of the table with nine points. Patrick Vieira deserves credit for organising Nice’s victory given that his team were missing three of their first-choice back four in Malang Sarr, Dante and Christophe Herelle.

• Monaco again dropped points after conceding a late equaliser, this time against a weary Strasbourg side. Islam Slimani’s two goals in their 2-2 draw at least give Monaco something to cheer. Now on three goals in two matches, the Algerian has excelled in France by getting stuck in and showing a penchant for improvisation; he came close to a hat-trick but his overhead effort late in the second half was saved brilliantly by Strasbourg keeper Matz Sels.

• Finally, a word for Slimani’s countryman, Zinedine Ferhat. Having been so impressive for Le Havre in the last two years – producing an astonishing 29 assists in that time – he has scarcely missed a beat with Nîmes, scoring on Saturday as they picked up their first win of the season. It may not be all smooth sailing for the southern side this season but, in Ferhat they have found a creative hub who will help the team to continue to play the positive football that made them neutrals’ favourites last term.

Ligue 1 table

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/09/02/psgs-transfer-strategy-is-bad-news-for-their-academy-graduates-football/feed/0Bakayoko set for Monaco return on loan from Chelseahttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/30/bakayoko-set-for-monaco-return-on-loan-from-chelsea/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/30/bakayoko-set-for-monaco-return-on-loan-from-chelsea/#respondFri, 30 Aug 2019 13:09:11 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=307487Monaco (AFP) – Tiemoue Bakayoko is closing in on a return to Monaco on loan from Chelsea after the Ligue 1 club’s vice-president Oleg Petrov said on Friday that the France international’s arrival would not be a “big surprise”. “Before our match at Strasbourg (on Sunday), we expect the arrival of a physically strong defensive […]

Monaco (AFP) – Tiemoue Bakayoko is closing in on a return to Monaco on loan from Chelsea after the Ligue 1 club’s vice-president Oleg Petrov said on Friday that the France international’s arrival would not be a “big surprise”.

“Before our match at Strasbourg (on Sunday), we expect the arrival of a physically strong defensive midfielder. We expect to finalise the deal today,” Petrov said.

When asked if Bakayoko, 25, was the player being discussed, Petrov said: “Yes, it’s a strong possibility. He’s a physically strong defensive midfielder, he has the ability to deal with the demands of the French league. We know him, he knows Monaco and the coach. There won’t be any big surprises.”

The Russian added Monaco was hammering out the final details on a “loan deal”, which is believed to be until the end of this season.

Bakayoko came to global prominence at Monaco, where in the 2016-2017 season he was crucial as the Principality side won the Ligue 1 title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League alongside France star Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.

He was sold to Chelsea the following season but failed to impress during his time in England and was loaned to AC Milan after just a year in London.

However that move also failed to work out, with Bakayoko playing 42 times in all competitions but falling out with coach Gennaro Gattuso as the seven-time European champions finished fifth and missed out on Champions League football.

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/30/bakayoko-set-for-monaco-return-on-loan-from-chelsea/feed/0Monaco have lost sight of everything that made them Ligue 1 champions | Footballhttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/27/monaco-have-lost-sight-of-everything-that-made-them-ligue-1-champions-football/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/27/monaco-have-lost-sight-of-everything-that-made-them-ligue-1-champions-football/#respondTue, 27 Aug 2019 13:27:11 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=303982

A lot has changed at Lyon, Nice and Bordeaux in recent years. All three clubs have adapted and refined their first team, youth development and recruitment strategy. They have different targets, but the three clubs have some things in common: they promote young players; they sign promising talents with resale value from niche markets; and […]

A lot has changed at Lyon, Nice and Bordeaux in recent years. All three clubs have adapted and refined their first team, youth development and recruitment strategy. They have different targets, but the three clubs have some things in common: they promote young players; they sign promising talents with resale value from niche markets; and their policy on squad development is led by people at the club who work above the coach.

While Bordeaux are a long way from perfecting these ideas and Nice have struggled to recapture the magic of former president Jean-Pierre Rivère’s shrewd transfer business, they are both making the effort to change because of Monaco. A few years ago Monaco offered dramatic proof that this philosophy can bring unprecedented financial and sporting success in Ligue 1. However, having set an example to other clubs, Monaco have since lost their way.

Monaco have not won any of their first three games in Ligue 1 this season, but their first concern at Strasbourg on Sunday will be finishing the game with 11 men. In their opening game of the season – a 3-0 defeat at home to Lyon – Cesc Fàbregas was perhaps harshly sent off after colliding with Léo Dubois; Ruben Aguilar’s lunge in a 3-0 defeat at Metz was more clear cut; and Jemerson made it three out of three when he was controversially sent off via VAR for felling Romain Philippoteaux in a 2-2 draw at home to Nîmes on Sunday.

Goals from Wissam Ben Yedder and Islam Slimani had given Monaco a 2-0 lead against Nîmes at the weekend but they collapsed after Jemerson’s red card and had to settle for a point – their first of the season. Given the gap in quality between the two teams – Ben Yedder, Islam Slimani, Adrien Silva, Aleksandr Golovin, Gelson Martins and Kamil Glik all started for Monaco – the club’s supporters will be alarmed at such a collapse. Both of Nîmes’ first choice centre-backs were suspended and five of their front six from last season – including Téji Savanier, one of the standout players of the campaign – left the club in the summer. Their replacements were largely from the second tier and many of them had little top-flight experience. Nîmes were there for the taking, but Monaco could not finish the job.

Monaco’s porous, lacklustre and unruly displays – which leave them second bottom in the table – are mirrored by a sense of chaos beyond the playing staff. The precise scouting, fiendish negotiating and holistic style of player recruitment that eventually lead to their glorious title win in 2017 have evaporated.

Monaco were masters at sifting through under-appreciated markets to find cheap, emerging players who could be developed and potentially sold on. Signing Fabinho from mid-table Primeira Liga club Rio Ave and Thomas Lemar from Caen for €4m helped them reach the Champions League quarter-finals in 2015. That side included Yannick Carrasco, Layvin Kurzawa, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Anthony Martial: a blend of experienced heads who could lead the way and younger players who were ready for first-team football.

Much of that success was forgotten after they won the title and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2017. Instead of signing youthful players who were still developing, the club brought in teenagers who were a long way from the first XI; while the nous of João Moutinho, for example, was not appropriately replaced. This summer they have shifted towards the other extreme, in a new policy of exclusively targeting experienced internationals, akin to Marseille’s unsuccessful “Champions Project” model.

Monaco were painfully slow in the transfer window this summer. Deals for Lille defender Adama Soumaoro and Milan striker André Silva were done, but fell through due to last-minute financial haggling. Largely due to late arrivals, only five players started both the opening loss to Lyon and the draw with Nîmes. Leonardo Jardim has already used 22 players in Ligue 1 this term. After a season of uncertainty, Monaco began the new one in flux.

The club’s wayward recruitment owes much to changes made above Jardim. Monaco have struggled to replace Luis Campos, one of the world’s best sporting directors, who left the club in 2016 after much of the title-winning team had already been assembled. He is now proving his worth at Lille, where he has helped turn Marcelo Bielsa’s chaotic relegation-threatened side into title chasers. Former Chelsea sporting director Michael Emenalo was particularly unsuccessful and struggled to replace big-name departures after the title win. He was eventually marginalised by the owners before he moved on earlier this month.

Replacing Vadim Vasilyev after his surprise departure from his role as the club’s public face and negotiator-in-chief will be difficult for his successor, Oleg Petrov, who had zero football experience when he joined in February. It is notable that the Russian has a frayed relationship with Jorge Mendes, over the agent’s desire to use Monaco as a career kick-starting destination for his less successful clients and his attempts to move captain Falcao to Galatasaray before the summer is up.

Not long ago, Monaco’s astute scouting, considered recruitment and Jardim’s knack for developing young players while maintaining results made the club a gold standard for clubs to follow. But that Monaco has since ceased to exist. Most of their title-winning players, Campos, Vasilyev and seemingly Jardim’s connection with his team have all vacated the Stade Louis II of late. But they have an example to follow if they want to return to the top six. They need look no further than Lyon, Nice and Bordeaux.

Islam Slimani gave Monaco the lead against Nîmes but the hope did not last for long. Photograph: Valéry Hache/AFP/Getty Images

Ligue 1 talking points

• After deplorable recent incidents of fan violence and racism at Ligue 1 games, homophobic chanting has been the centre of attention this week. Both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 officials have been instructed to pause games should homophobic chanting be heard, leading to a number of stoppages in matches since the start of the season. Worryingly, the crackdown has been met with resistance from some fan groups. L’Équipe reported that Brest fans asked for “freedom for ultras” after their game with Reims was halted, while a banner at the Parc des Princes suggested that authorities were “swimming against the tide”. These stoppages will continue as part of an overdue crackdown with more concrete punishments soon likely; as referee Amaury Delerue said after he halted the Monaco v Nîmes game: “We must act.”

• Amid reports in the French press that relations between PSG and Neymar were thawing this week, Thomas Tuchel told journalists on Saturday that that Brazilian was fit to play and would do so this weekend if the situation between player and club was “clear”. In the end, he was left out again. But PSG may need to change that policy after a costly 4-0 win over Toulouse. PSG ended the match with Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting (who scored twice) and teenage full-back Arthur Zagre in attack after Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani joined Abdou Diallo in limping off injured at the Parc des Princes. With Julian Draxler, Ander Herrera, Thilo Kehrer and Layvin Kurzawa also doubtful for the trip to Metz next week, a serious injury crisis is developing.

Ligue 1 table

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/27/monaco-have-lost-sight-of-everything-that-made-them-ligue-1-champions-football/feed/0Henry’s desire to succeed as manager undimmed by Monaco miseryhttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/22/henrys-desire-to-succeed-as-manager-undimmed-by-monaco-misery/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/22/henrys-desire-to-succeed-as-manager-undimmed-by-monaco-misery/#respondThu, 22 Aug 2019 09:26:37 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=297885London (AFP) – France football legend Thierry Henry is keen for another chance to prove he can be a successful manager despite his unhappy brief tenure at Ligue 1 side Monaco. The 42-year-old — Arsenal’s record goalscorer — told the Daily Telegraph that although his phone did not ring for four months following his sacking, […]

London (AFP) – France football legend Thierry Henry is keen for another chance to prove he can be a successful manager despite his unhappy brief tenure at Ligue 1 side Monaco.

The 42-year-old — Arsenal’s record goalscorer — told the Daily Telegraph that although his phone did not ring for four months following his sacking, things have picked up since then and he has received five offers.

Henry’s dream return last October to manage Monaco, the club where he established his reputation as a top class striker, turned into a nightmare.

Having been part of Belgium manager Roberto Martinez’s backroom team at the World Cup — where they reached the semi-finals — he lasted just over 100 days after only four league wins.

“Call me crazy if you want, but I love football and I believe I can be a successful coach,” he said.

“I’m not thinking about the pain, I’m not thinking about failure. I don’t like easy.

“I like to lead and it’s on me to make it happen. The same when I joined Arsenal as a player, the same when I went to Belgium with Roberto. It’s an evolution.”

– ‘Communication and honesty’ –

Henry, who was a member of the France squads that won both the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000 title, said although he has been contacted over jobs, he has yet to find the right fit.

“My phone didn’t ring for four months after I left Monaco and then all of a sudden I got five calls,” he said.

“Some were not what I was looking for and some were as a number two.”

“I won’t do a number two job because I want to be a number one.”

Henry, who has spoken with basketball and athletics coaches since being fired to gain extra insight into coaching top level athletes, says it is frustrating having to wait around for another opportunity but he is convinced football coaching is where his future lies.

“I came out of it fully reassured that’s what I want to do, zero doubt about it,” he said.

All Henry asks is for transparency from his employers.

“Communication and honesty from the start is key,” he said.

“What’s the job? Is the job to stay up, is the job to win the League or be in the Champions League?

“But how and what is success? Is success improving players? Ultimately, results are the most important thing, but I want to improve players as well.”

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/22/henrys-desire-to-succeed-as-manager-undimmed-by-monaco-misery/feed/0Thierry Henry breaks silence after Monaco axe; rules out No. 2 rolehttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/21/thierry-henry-breaks-silence-after-monaco-axe-rules-out-no-2-role/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/21/thierry-henry-breaks-silence-after-monaco-axe-rules-out-no-2-role/#respondWed, 21 Aug 2019 14:47:30 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=297039Date published: Wednesday 21st August 2019 3:43 Axed Monaco boss Thierry Henry is desperate to return to the game, but says he will not take a No.2 job. Henry, speaking for the first time since he was sacked by the Ligue 1 side, says he would have done things differently had he known his time […]

Axed Monaco boss Thierry Henry is desperate to return to the game, but says he will not take a No.2 job.

Henry, speaking for the first time since he was sacked by the Ligue 1 side, says he would have done things differently had he known his time with the Principality club was going to be so short.

Henry told The Telegraph: “If I knew I only had three months, then maybe I would have acted a different way, but I was trying to plan something for the future and doing that in such a little amount of time is very difficult.

“I’m proud of what we did achieve with such a young team. We had to win in Caen and Amiens, and those six points were very important. I had no doubt that team was going to stay up because there was enough quality.

“I came out of it fully reassured that’s what I want to do, zero doubt about it. I saw some of my ex coaches after I left and they said ‘now you can say you are a coach because you’ve been sacked. Now you are a coach Thierry’. I am not complaining and I can only say thank you to everybody, but to build a legacy and build something for the future, it takes time.”

Henry, 42, lasted just 20 games with Monaco after inheriting a club in 18th place in Ligue 1 and the worst injury crisis in the club’s history with 17 players out on the sidelines.

“There is something I always say,” he said. “You win or you learn, and, as you can imagine, I learned a lot. I still have Monaco in my heart, it’s the club that gave me my first opportunity as a player and gave me my first opportunity as a coach, so I will always be thankful to the people who gave me that, people who are there, some are gone.

“My heart talked at the time. I wanted to go back to where I started everything. I have zero regrets about what happened. It was a very difficult task and I felt that if I’d had more time I could have done more. But if you don’t get results, no matter what the circumstances, you have to go. All I would say is that if you don’t pass that line and sit on the bench, then you don’t know everything. I’ve heard a lot of people give their opinion on what happened at Monaco and, boy, they were wrong, but I will never go into details.”

The former Arsenal man though is intent on returning to coaching: “I want to do it because I love the game, this is my life, my passion.

“When I came back to Arsenal for the second time as a player, I knew I wasn’t who I was before.

“I had just come back from three weeks’ holiday and Arsene Wenger said ‘do you want to help?’; my brother said ‘what do you have to gain? The only thing you can do is tarnish what you did’.

“But I didn’t think about it. I was thinking about helping my club and we know now it was successful. If I had gone back and I was shocking, then people would have always said ‘why did you do that?’. But I don’t think about the negative, I think about the positive. That’s why I went to Monaco and that’s why I still want to be a coach. You think about having a positive impact.

“Call me crazy if you want, but I love football and I believe I can be a successful coach. I’m not thinking about the pain, I’m not thinking about failure. I don’t like easy. I like to lead and it’s on me to make it happen. The same when I joined Arsenal as a player, the same when I went to Belgium with Roberto. It’s an evolution.

“My phone didn’t ring for four months after I left Monaco and then all of a sudden I got five calls. Some were not what I was looking for and some were as a number two. Very interesting offers, but I can’t leave my staff behind. I’ve got guys who stopped working for me and what do I say to them? ‘Hey guys, you stopped working for me but now I’ve got a job’. I won’t do a number two job because I want to be a number one.”

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/21/thierry-henry-breaks-silence-after-monaco-axe-rules-out-no-2-role/feed/0Sylvinho has revived Lyon so will Ligue 1 have a title race after all? | Footballhttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/19/sylvinho-has-revived-lyon-so-will-ligue-1-have-a-title-race-after-all-football/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/19/sylvinho-has-revived-lyon-so-will-ligue-1-have-a-title-race-after-all-football/#respondMon, 19 Aug 2019 15:00:58 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=294641

“I didn’t think he would be a coach,” explained Gilles Grimandi. “I thought he would be disappointed – that he wouldn’t understand why some people don’t have the same spirit as him, invest as much or work as hard. He has such a passion for football that it takes precedence over everything else.” Despite the […]

“I didn’t think he would be a coach,” explained Gilles Grimandi. “I thought he would be disappointed – that he wouldn’t understand why some people don’t have the same spirit as him, invest as much or work as hard. He has such a passion for football that it takes precedence over everything else.” Despite the concerns of his former Arsenal teammate, his minimal experience, little understanding of French, the sales of key players and a volatile fanbase, Sylvinho looks better suited to coaching than Grimandi expected.

Lyon are only two games into the season and Sylvinho is rightly cautious about heightened expectation, but the manager has a pair of meaningful victories to his name. Previous incumbent Bruno Génésio suffered through a toxic atmosphere at Parc OL, incessant pressure from fans and media alike, and widespread criticism of his tactical nous. Under Génésio, Lyon repeatedly struggled for inspiration against the more conservative tactics of weaker Ligue 1 sides, while Europa League collapses horribly punctuated his tenure. Lyon often lacked ideas and cohesion, but that has already started to change under Sylvinho.

A week on from beating Monaco 3-0, Lyon tore a normally well drilled, pragmatic and competitive Angers team apart on Friday night. Their free-flowing 6-0 win was enabled by the unchecked guile and grace of Houssem Aouar, the dynamism of Thiago Mendes and the clinical finishing of Moussa Dembélé – all attributes that were frustratingly intermittent under Genesio. Lyon created chances when they pleased and were five up just after half-time. Memphis Depay, even caught pressing at times, also impressed with a brace and a superb assist for summer addition Jean Lucas.

Their new back four is still settling – centre-back Joachim Andersen joined from Sampdoria this summer along with full-back Youssouf Koné from Lille – but Lyon already appear sharper, more precise and more assured. Although Génésio scarcely deserved the level of criticism he received – fan groups spent nearly two seasons pursuing his sacking even though he had pulled off marquee victories over Manchester City and PSG – these wins, however, feel very different.

Although a managerial change was needed, Lyon’s astute scouting and transfer policy remain in evidence. Ferland Mendy’s transfer to Real Madrid has yet to be felt after the prudent addition of Koné, who helped Lille to second last season alongside Thiago Mendes who long provided Lille with a ferocious, all-action midfield presence even when they dropped into the bottom three under Marcelo Bielsa. Largely unheralded after Nicolas Pépé’s breakthrough year, the Brazilian midfielder should amply cover for the loss of Tanguy Ndombele to Tottenham.

Sylvinho will be hoping former Arsenal attacker Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, who joined from Angers last week, will aid Aouar in filling the void left by captain Nabil Fekir’s surprise move to Real Betis. Emerging at the end of last season as he moved from a wing position, his impact often sporadic, to an attacking midfield role, Reine-Adélaïde’s ability to carry the ball from deep and create with his pace and vision will provide further potency to OL’s attack, with assets the squad are lacking. At just 21, and after a steep rise of late, he has the potential and ability to become the next young Ligue 1 talent to explode on the European scene.

Compared to Genesio’s passionate, one-club-man persona, Sylvinho’s more thoughtful attitude is starting to take hold. He is a considered, thoughtful student of the game, who constantly records his thoughts in a notebook at training. “I write down names, concepts, defensive tasks, notes on attacking, meeting topics, ideas …” he has said. “It’s a part of my life; even my wife does not touch this notebook!”

Crucial to Sylvinho’s continued early success will be the role of club legend Juninho, who appointed him. Regarded as the club’s greatest ever player, the free-kick maestro has returned as sporting director. He carries considerable goodwill from Lyon’s vociferous fanbase – a huge tifo celebrated his return before the Angers game. It remains early, but the atmosphere has changed markedly, largely thanks to the positivity engendered by Juninho.

Juninho’s return has “soothed the atmosphere,” says outspoken president Jean-Michel Aulas, for “fan groups, the media and the surrounding environment”. Nevertheless this is Sylvinho’s first role as a head coach of a club and Juninho’s first directorial position of any kind. Aulas knows their appointment was something of a gamble, conceding recently: “When you’re an entrepreneur and invest €500m in a single stadium, life is full of risk-taking.”
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With head of scouting Florian Maurice convinced to stay by Aulas, himself traditionally hands-on, the nature of Juninho’s installation as part public face, part figurehead, part fan favourite is something of a masterstroke. It deflects fan ire away from Aulas and the club, lifting the atmosphere with a returning hero and initiating a new, much needed, change of direction. Although prudent, that change of direction caught everyone off guard.

Previously, Aulas said his coaches needed to have “OL DNA”. Although Juninho fills that requirement, Sylvinho is only the club’s second foreign appointment in their entire history and one unusually made by someone other than Aulas – always prominent during his more than 30 years at the club. Aulas, now 70, has talked of taking “a step back”. Given his consistently prudent leadership, encompassing a run of seven league titles and an almost constant place near the summit of Ligue 1, the club may suffer without him in the long term.

Whether or not Aulas does take a meaningful step back, the near future looks bright for Lyon. With PSG losing against Rennes and Neymar increasingly likely to leave France, Ligue 1 may yet have a title race. In any case, Lyon’s new coach is far better suited to club management than was previously thought.

Ligue 1 talking points

• Monaco are in trouble again. Although Cesc Fàbregas’s bizarre dismissal and Lyon’s 6-0 thrashing of Angers might have made Monaco’s opening day defeat to Lyon look more respectable, their 3-0 loss at promoted Metz on Saturday was anything but. Although Leonardo Jardim’s team played an hour without Ruben Aguilar after his red card, a hungry Metz, already ahead, ran out comfortable winners – Wissam Ben Yedder’s debut inconsequential. They did not win any of their first 10 games last season and Jardim is again struggling to find answers. Without influential VP Vadim Vasilyev, rashly sacked, or a coherent transfer policy, with Luis Campos long gone, “Jardim’s Monaco” shows no sign of its own return.

• It took until 3 February for PSG to lose a Ligue 1 game last season. This time round their unbeaten spell ended at just one game. Having fought back from 2-0 down to surprise PSG on penalties in the Coupe de France final in May, Rennes and their inspirational young coach Julian Stéphan came from behind once more to beat the champions on Sunday night. A mix-up between keeper Romain Salin and his defence gifted a simple opener to Edinson Cavani, but M’Baye Niang’s smart turn and arrowed shot had Rennes level before half time. After the break, 16-year-old midfielder Eduardo Camavinga’s pinpoint cross was nodded home by winger Romain Del Castillo to put Rennes ahead. PSG pushed but struggled to create and Rennes came closest to the fourth goal as Del Castillo’s near post run and clever effort hit the woodwork. With Neymar again left out of the squad, things look very uncertain for PSG.

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/19/sylvinho-has-revived-lyon-so-will-ligue-1-have-a-title-race-after-all-football/feed/0Monaco misery deepens after second successive defeathttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/17/monaco-misery-deepens-after-second-successive-defeat/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/17/monaco-misery-deepens-after-second-successive-defeat/#respondSat, 17 Aug 2019 21:42:05 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=292813Nantes (France) (AFP) – Monaco’s problems deepened at Metz on Saturday when the 2017 champions slumped to a second successive 3-0 defeat in Ligue 1 and again finished with 10 men on the field. New recruits Wissam Ben Yedder and Henry Onyekuru both started up front but neither striker made an impression as Monaco slipped […]

Nantes (France) (AFP) – Monaco’s problems deepened at Metz on Saturday when the 2017 champions slumped to a second successive 3-0 defeat in Ligue 1 and again finished with 10 men on the field.

New recruits Wissam Ben Yedder and Henry Onyekuru both started up front but neither striker made an impression as Monaco slipped to the foot of the table without a point.

Habib Diallo gave Metz an 11th-minute lead from the penalty spot before Monaco’s Ruben Aguilar was red-carded after 33 minutes with his exclusion coming a week after Cesc Fabregas was sent-off in the opening 3-0 loss at home to Lyon.

Diallo added his second of the night in the 54th minute with Renaud Cohade completing his team’s easy win on 67 minutes.

Last season’s runners-up Lille suffered a 1-0 defeat at neighbours Amiens after a 72nd minute goal from Serhou Guirassy.

Lille played all of the second half a man short after Boubakary Soumare was handed a 39th-minute red card.

Marseille wasted a penalty before finishing the match clinging to a 0-0 draw at Nantes.

For both teams the stalemate yielded a first point of the young season.

Marseille had a chance to score their first goal of the campaign after VAR detected a handball in the home box in the 31st minute.

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/17/monaco-misery-deepens-after-second-successive-defeat/feed/0European roundup: Dortmund crush Augsburg, Monaco crash again | Footballhttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/17/european-roundup-dortmund-crush-augsburg-monaco-crash-again-football/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/08/17/european-roundup-dortmund-crush-augsburg-monaco-crash-again-football/#respondSat, 17 Aug 2019 21:17:44 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=292793Borussia Dortmund crushed Augsburg 5-1 in their Bundesliga opener on Saturday, with two goals from Paco Alcacer, to lay down an emphatic marker after champions Bayern Munich slipped up in their season premiere a day earlier in drawing 2-2 with Hertha Berlin. Augsburg stunned the hosts with Florian Niederlechner’s goal after only 30 seconds but […]

Borussia Dortmund crushed Augsburg 5-1 in their Bundesliga opener on Saturday, with two goals from Paco Alcacer, to lay down an emphatic marker after champions Bayern Munich slipped up in their season premiere a day earlier in drawing 2-2 with Hertha Berlin.

Augsburg stunned the hosts with Florian Niederlechner’s goal after only 30 seconds but Dortmund quickly recovered to level with Spaniard Alcacer, Dortmund’s top scorer last season, in the third minute.

They turned up the tempo in the second half, scoring three goals in a span of eight minutes.

England international Jadon Sancho fired them ahead in the 51st and the teenager then helped set up goals for Marco Reus and Alcacer. Substitute Julian Brandt volleyed in their fifth in the 82nd.

While they needed some 50 minutes to get started, Dortmund were a class better than their opponents, firing 24 shots to Augsburg’s five and having more than 72% possession throughout the game.

“It was important to get the quick equaliser,” said Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc. “Overall it was a very good start but nothing more. Paco is also in great shape physically.”

Bayer Leverkusen saw promoted Paderborn come back twice from a goal down before Kevin Volland fired in the winner for a 3-2 home victory over the underdogs.

Freiburg struck three times in the last nine minutes to beat Mainz 05 3-0 while Fortuna Düsseldorf earned a 3-1 win at Werder Bremen.

In France, Monaco’s poor start to the new Ligue 1 campaign continued with a 3-0 defeat at Metz. Leonardo Jardim’s side were without Cesc Fàbregas following the Spanish midfielder’s controversial red card in the opening 3-0 loss against Lyon.

Monaco fared no better on their travels, as Habib Diallo scored twice in another comprehensive defeat.

Nice are second, above Metz, with a 100 per cent record after they won 2-1 at Nîmes – where three players were sent off as the hosts finished with nine men after two red cards in stoppage time. Toulouse are fourth after a 1-0 home win over Dijon, secured by a goal from Jean-Victor Makengo in the 54th minute.

Amiens beat 10-man Lille 1-0, with Sehrou Guirassy’s scrambled effort allowed to stand following a lengthy on-field review for an offside call. Bordeaux collected their first point of the new season after coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Montpellier.

The visitors went in front through Andy Delort’s acrobatic volley after 22 minutes, but a fine individual effort from Josh Maja levelled things up with 20 minutes left. Souleymane Camara thought he had won it for Montpellier late on, but his goal was ruled out after a VAR review for an offside in the build-up.

Saturday’s afternoon kick-off saw Argentine forward Dario Benedetto miss a penalty on his Ligue 1 debut for Marseille as Andre Villas-Boas’ side were held to a goalless draw at Nantes.